Not by Chance, But by Destiny
by Uchizaki
Summary: Ichigo was a high school student living by himself in the city. One day on his way home he crossed paths with someone familiar that he just can't recall, but his instinct generously invited the stranger into his own home...IchigoxShirosaki. T for now.
1. Chapter 1

This is a pairing that I always wanted to write about, but never had time to. Please enjoy and review! I'll update as often as I can...

Disclaimer: Bleach is not owned by Uchizaki

Warnings: Language, mature content, yaoi (boyxboy), IchigoxShirosaki, some incorrect grammar usage

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**-~-Not by Chance, But by Destiny-~-**

**-Chapter 1-**

The rain was falling in torrents. The sky was black with clouds and the drone of the traffic mixed together with the pitter-patter of the liquid rain drops. It was just another day in the city, and our focus is on just another one of the students of Central Metro High School.

"Damn it damn it damn it…" Ichigo muttered, a little ticked at the fact that it rains so much in this crappy city. It had been pouring for three days straight. Three damn days! He hurried down the streets, having forgotten his umbrella at home and using his book bag as a carry-around rain shelter. His clothes clung uncomfortably onto his skin, making him shiver with the moist coldness.

Ichigo Kurosaki was a seventeen year old young man who was currently enrolled in Central Metro High School, one of the many under-funded public schools in the city. He lived in a small apartment by himself, his two younger sisters and father living in the suburbs. The reason that he lived alone was because he wanted to see the world by himself and grow stronger and become able to live in this harsh world in which he was destined to reside in. His sisters had protested, loving their brother very much, but they reluctantly let Ichigo go when he promised to visit frequently. His normally idiotic father gave his consent without much argument, and maturely patted his son on the back, saying, "My son is all grown up now."

And sure, Ichigo was quite mature for his age. He was a very composed young man, and if you don't know him you could easily mistake him for a man in his early-twenties. He did all the housework by himself, cooked for himself, and basically did everything for himself in order to survive. He refused his dad's offer to help him pay for his rent, food, and essential everyday items, and got a job at a local restaurant as a waiter to pay for his needs. Now one would think that the teen led a very harsh life. That's not necessarily true. You see Ichigo Kurosaki was quite a genius at academics, and as a result, he only has to take six classes everyday, and so the homework load wasn't heavy. He can usually get his school work done within an hour, being very efficient to the point of madness, as his friends would say.

Ichigo's body was slim and wiry, slender yet powerful. No matter how much he worked and trained, he could never get his muscles to grow bigger, but they do grow stronger. Ichigo also have a great interest in martial arts, and had taken a lot of martial art lessons, so he was fully capable of protecting himself and also harming others. Many an unfortunate soul had thought that the orange haired young man was fresh meat and had gotten sent to the hospitals for that naivety.

As for his personality, he wasn't exactly the warmest person, but he wasn't cold and mean either. To his small circle of friends, he was very loyal and always willing to lend a helping hand, but to the general populace he was deemed a mean looking guy because of his constant scowl.

Now, let us return to the street and to what Ichigo Kurosaki is currently doing.

Out ahead a little ways down the street, Ichigo saw a huddled form with clothing in tatters. As he got closer, he perceived that the person had pristine white hair and pale skin that was close to white, but not quite. 'An albino?' Ichigo squinted. The man, he discerned, seemed to be younger than him and was hugging his legs with his head down between his knees, so Ichigo couldn't see his face. But something about that pale skin and white hair clicked in the student's mind, and before his brain registered what his body was doing, he had approached the man and had stooped down to lay his right hand on the other's shoulder.

The white haired teen lifted up his head, and black orbs with striking yellow irises met honey brown eyes. Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Go home kid, you're going to catch a cold."

When the hell did Ichigo learn to sound so considerate and nice to complete strangers? He himself would like to know.

Those strange yellow eyes stared into Ichigo's, capturing the other hopelessly in its powerful gaze; Ichigo found himself unable to turn aside and walk away. Then the albino teen spoke; his voice was deep but scratchy, and it reverberated, creating a very unique echo-ey sound.

"I don't have a home."

Ichigo blinked, freed from the spell, and prodded, against his normal nature, "Surely you can go somewhere to at least get out of this rain kiddo."

"Nah, I've been here since yesterday."

Yesterday, really? Ichigo thought, how come I didn't notice him earlier? And no wonder he looks so skinny… Was Ichigo going to believe everything this stranger says? For all he knew, this could just be another lazy young bum in a city where unemployment rates were sky-rocketing.

Again, without thinking, Ichigo said, "Ok kid, come on, let's get you somewhere where you can dry himself; my apartment's not far from here." Did he really just invite a complete stranger that had been on the streets for at least two days into his home? What's wrong with me? Ichigo questioned, but somehow he felt that it was the right thing to do.

The white-haired teen's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked with a surprised look in his eyes. His water-logged hair was all stuck onto his face, and when his eyes widened, his eyebrows shot up and were covered by the wet locks.

Ichigo hesitated for a second. What happens afterwards? Maybe he'll just give this kid a change of clothes and some food, because while he wasn't well off, the kid had nothing. Ichigo smiled and nodded, "Mhm!" He offered his hand, which was clasped by an equally cold and wet one, and yanked the kid to his feet. He must be feeling uncannily generous or stupid today.

Now he had a better look at the other. Surprisingly, he was just as tall as Ichigo, maybe even slightly taller, and his jaw was sharp and well defined. His dirty, faded shirt had the slogan of a very popular brand on it, to which Ichigo raised an eyebrow. His form was slender, and not as skinny as Ichigo thought, but definitely somewhat muscular. He couldn't tell very well because the other was wearing an oversized coat.

"Eh, shall we go? It's raining…"

Ichigo blinked. Was he staring? "Ah yes, my apartment is right down this street," Ichigo said and walked briskly onward. The sound of the other's shoes sloshing in the rain puddles told Ichigo that the albino was following him, howbeit silently.

"So why are you out here?" Ichigo asked, trying something else to fill the silence besides the sound of the rainfall. He glanced at the albino out of the corner of his eye as the albino stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Well… let's just say, me and my folks had a fight, and I …left."

Ok, so this kid and his family didn't get along, to the extreme that the kid just upped and left… Ichigo thought. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Don't be. I took some money with me when I left, and I've just recently ran out, since nobody would give a job to an albino with strange eyes," he said, shrugging. Ichigo really liked the other's voice. It reminded him faintly of the crash of waves by the seashore.

"…huh." Ichigo didn't really know what to say to that. Thankfully he didn't have to say anymore since they finally reached his apartment. He reached down into his pants pocket and fished out his keys. Opening the door, he waved the albino in.

"My apartment is on the seventh floor; I live by myself," Ichigo said as they climbed up the stairs.

"Oh? That's surprising…" the other replied. After a moment of silence, he asked with a hesitant tone in his voice, "Hey listen, uh, if I were a normal high-schooler, I wouldn't be letting a stranger into his apartment right now…"

The way he phrased that sentence slightly creeped Ichigo out; he really didn't know what to say to that either. "Eh, I guess I'm just a super nice guy then, haha…" Ichigo laughed awkwardly as they reached the door of the apartment.

"Heh, okay then…" the stranger said, smiling. Ichigo thought that the smile was a little off, but it must be a trick of light or something.

"By the way, I haven't asked you yet for your name," Ichigo asked, "So mind telling me?"

"…The name's Shiro."

Ichigo paused in twisting the key. Shiro? That name sounds so familiar… but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Opening the door, he invited Shiro in. "Here, wait a second I'll get you a towel and a change of clothes. Do you want to shower?"

"That would be… nice. I haven't showered in weeks…" Shiro said as he looked around the small apartment. "Nice place," he added.

"Haha not really, you don't have to be um, nice," Ichigo replied as he emerged from the bathroom and handed Shiro his spare towel, "Go ahead, I'll cook something up while you shower, you must be hungry." Ichigo questioned himself again for who knows how many times already that day: why was he being so nice to this complete stranger with the familiar name of Shiro?

"Sure…thanks," Shiro said as he took the towel from Ichigo's hand, his cold hand contacting Ichigo's, making Ichigo's skin tingle for a second.

"Uh, not a problem," Ichigo mumbled as he stared at his hand. Then he blinked and muttered to himself, "Oh right, something warm to eat…"

As he weaved around in the kitchen, preparing a warm modest dinner, Ichigo thought hard about the name "Shiro" and the albino in his house. He got out some vegetables and started chopping them up into small pieces, shoving the chopped up pieces into a pot of boiling water. Something in his being is making him act nice to this stranger. He added some chunks of meat into the soup. But is Shiro really a stranger? Ichigo was sure that he had seen the other before.

So focused in his thoughts he didn't hear the bathroom door open and Shiro stepping out until the albino walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing Ichigo to jump, his hand slipping and the knife that he was holding cut him across his index finger.

"S-Shiro! What the hell don't sneak up on me like th-" Ichigo paused, his eyes widened, noticing that the other was half naked, the towel covering the lower half. Ok scratch what he thought before the albino definitely wasn't skinny! He had muscle, taut slender muscle, not the ugly ripped kind. His skin was ivory white and there wasn't an ounce of fat on him.

Ichigo then blinked, feeling a hand on his arm as his arm was lifted and his finger sucked gently into Shiro's mouth.

…Wait what?!

Ichigo instinctively pulled his finger back out and yelled, blushing furiously, "What the hell was that for?"

"What, your finger was bleeding, so I cleaned up the cut for you. If the cut get infected, it would be bad…" Shiro explained with an innocent look on his face. And before Ichigo could decided whether the shine in the other's black orbs meant Shiro asked, "Oh yeah, can I uh, borrow some clothes?"

"U-uh yeah! H-hold on…" Ichigo stammered and staggered out of the kitchen into his bedroom, his arm brushing against the albino's clumsily and accidentally.

His hand automatically went to touch his burning cheek once he was inside his room. The hell? Ichigo thought, am I blushing? Shaking his head dismissively, he calmly collected himself and withdrew a crimson tee with a golden oriental dragon design on it, a pair of plain black boxers, and a pair of dark jeans.

"Here you go! It's not much…" Ichigo said, shutting the door of his room beside him and walking up to the albino, "You can wear these around for now and uh, you can stay for dinner if you want to. I made enough for the two of us." Somehow, the 'two of us' sounded a little off to Ichigo after he said it.

Shiro took the offered clothes and grinned happily at Ichigo, "Thank you thank you! I'd _love _to stay for dinner." That being said, he dropped his towel on the spot and started to get dressed-

"WOAH wait a second! Don't strip right here- Aren't- the hell!" Ichigo sputtered, feeling the blood rush to his face again seeing the other in all his naked glory.

Shiro merely blinked and asked somewhat coyly but seemingly innocently, "Eh? What's wrong with this? We're both guys." He proceeded to finish dressing nonchalantly as Ichigo stood rooted to the spot with his mouth wide open and face flushed in embarrassment. Shiro smirked inwardly, but he didn't drop his innocent façade.

"B-but, eh, it's- um…" Ichigo stuttered, and then he quickly turned around and strode into the kitchen. Damnit damnit damnit! Ichigo thought blushing furiously, why'd he do that? Why do I care? Why do I have that image stuck in my head?

Ok Ichigo, the orange haired host told himself, just take a deep breath, and calm down.

"Can I help with anything?"

Ichigo nearly dropped the glass plates he was holding.

"N-n-no it's fine! Just go take a s-seat over there!" Ichigo replied hastily. The other male was so close to Ichigo that he could feel his breath on the back of his neck, and he didn't like the tingly feeling.

"Are you sure? Oh, is that soup?" Shiro exclaimed, lifting the lid of one of the metallic pots cooking on the stove, "It is! Wow chicken noodles, God I haven't had those in so long! Can I help scoop it out?"

Ichigo sighed and gave in. "Fine... the bowls are in the top right compartment and you can find a spoon in the second drawer to the left." He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the albino, and his clothes fit the other seemingly well enough for the other to look sexy- Wait no no no- where the hell did that thought come from? ...but yeah the short-sleeved crimson shirt brought out Shiro's well-defined forearms. Ichigo looked at his own arms with annoyance, why don't they get bigger? Damn it.

"Wow, you're pretty damn organized… most single guys living by themselves tend to be as messy as pigs; I would know," Shiro chuckled as he found the tableware following Ichigo's instructions. It was a deep harmonious sound to Ichigo's ears. Next Shiro divided up the hot steamy soup into two equal portions and placed the two bowls on the small dining table in the living room. Meanwhile Ichigo brought over a plate of steamed vegetables with bread and silverware.

"Go ahead, you can sit there," Ichigo said offhandedly as he went back to the kitchen to grab napkins.

"Alrighty then," Shiro said and dug in into his food like a wolf who hadn't eaten for the past week. Then again, surely the albino had a hard time on the streets of the city, he must be hungry. Ichigo just watched as his companion stuffed himself messily with food. Then he also started, because he was also quite hungry after a day's studies and activities.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence as the two enjoyed the meal Shiro spoke up,

"Why…why are you helping me? Why are you feeding me? Why are you doing all these things for me? What do you wish to achieve by helping me?"

Those were the questions that Ichigo had been constantly asking himself since he met Shiro, and he still haven't came up with an answer yet. He sighed and slowly shook his head, his hand weaving through his still wet hair.

"I don't know, _Shiro_."

That's the first time he used that name, and somehow, by saying it, another block in his mind was removed, but it still wasn't enough for Ichigo to remember.

"…Alright, let me tell ya something. The moment I saw you in the streets, something clicked in my mind. You seem so familiar, but I just can think of who you are, but I have a feeling that we have met before," Shiro said, staring intently at Ichigo, "There's something about ya that makes me want to trust you, and I'm not stupid enough to follow a random man back into his house, but when you offered, my brain decided yes before I could think."

"…Isn't that strange," Ichigo replied lamely, not knowing what else to say. Sure, it was strange. There seemed to be a bond between them- Wait what the heck, Ichigo thought, frustrated. He decided to change the topic, the current thoughts were starting to give him a headache.

"So Shiro," Ichigo began, casting a brief glance at the digital clock on the microwave, "Uh, it's getting late, tell you what, you can sleep on the couch tonight if you want… I'm wasted so I think I'll go to bed early tonight."

"…That's fine with me, I appreciate your lending me a place to sleep tonight _Ichigo _I really do," Shiro said offhandedly, "I'll do the dishes, you should probably change out of your wet clothes by now…"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I probably should," Ichigo said, still thinking about the previous issue that he didn't catch Shiro saying his name. "Thanks and uh, I'll get you a pillow after I shower and stuff 'k?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Shiro said, turning on the tap to start rinsing the dishes. He hummed a little tune to himself as the warm water danced in between his fingers.

Ichigo went into the bathroom and started up the shower. It always felt nice to shower after a long, mentally and physically taxing day. He really hoped that he could somehow draw up more information about this 'Shiro,' but that'll have to wait until tomorrow; he was much too tired.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen Shiro smiled to himself; he had immediately recognized the other when he had stared into the orange head's honey brown eyes. Ichigo… I'm hurt that you don't remember me, Shiro thought sadly, but then again, maybe it's better that he doesn't remember who I am, since I probably hurt him greatly by moving away, even though it wasn't my fault…

But heck, his little strawberry seemed to be coming along quite well, and he's also get a damn nice body, if he could tell by his wet clothes that clung to his skin like glue. And it's cute when Ichigo got embarrassed by him. Shiro smirked, with the passing of time, the albino had caught up height-wise and strength-wise to the other, despite the other being one year older than him.

The bathroom door opened and the fragrance of strawberries wafted out along with the steam. Ichigo stepped out, fully dressed, and went over to the couch, bent over it, not aware that he was exposing his backside to the other occupant of the room, and lifted out some blankets and an old pillow from behind the sofa. Then he turned to the albino and said, "Well, it's not much but it should be good… if you don't mind."

"It's good; don't worry 'bout it," Shiro replied, staring intently at the other, making Ichigo fidget uncomfortably.

"Uh, well, I'm really tired so I'll be in my room if you need me," Ichigo stammered and with an added "Good night" he retreated into his room.

Shiro chuckled, yes, this was definitely more fun than starving to death on the streets. With a sigh, he lied down on the couch and drew the blankets up to his chin. He could smell the other's warm scent on the blankets, and it provided some comfort to the lonely albino. The pitter-patter of the rain was a calming and hypnotic sound as it dragged both of the tired young men into the depth of sleep.

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That's it for the first chapter folks, Please leave a helpful review if you like it :)

~Uchizaki


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the wait... I had this all typed up two weeks ago but hadn't had the chance to update . damn school. This chapter's kinda like a filler chapter and not as long as I would've liked...

Warnings: None really for this chapter, besides of course Yaoi, ShiroxIchi

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-~-Not by Chance, But by Destiny-~-

-Chapter 2-

The weather outside had gotten worse; instead of just pouring rain, lightning flashed and thunder declared its almighty power. One particularly loud clash of thunder shook the light-sleeping Ichigo awake with a shudder.

Ichigo had been queasy during thunderstorms ever since his mother died during a thunderstorm. Since then he associated thunderstorms with death, even though lightning wasn't the cause of Mrs. Kurosaki's death. But with the years, his fear had lessened to an uncomfortable queasy feeling in his stomach.

Ichigo let out an audible sigh, now somewhat awake. He decided to go use the bathroom, so he got up sluggishly and stumbled out of his room into the washroom. He plunked down on the toilet seat with closed eyes and almost dozed off except the uneasy feeling in his abdomen pulsed, keeping him awake. He flushed the toilet, went back to his room, and collapsed on his bed again, but he fell on a hard, bony thing that definitely wasn't there when he woke up. That fact that the thing talked didn't help Ichigo stay calm.

"Ouch dude-"

"What the hell!" Ichigo panicked, instantly standing up again. What is this talking thing in his bed? Then he remembered the events of the past day and calmed down, just a little bit. That still doesn't explain why a man was lying in his bed.

"Shiro! I thought I told you to sleep on the couch!" Ichigo said, a little angry and now wide awake. Lurid yellow eyes opened and greeted his own as the owner of the eyes answered, "Yeah but, I got a little uneasy with all the noisy thundering and …can I just sleep here tonight?" A compelling, pleading tone lurked under the surface of the scratchy sleepy voice.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched in irritation but the soft look in the other's eyes begged him to say yes. Plus, for some odd reason, the queasy feeling in his stomach went away, and it never does as long as it's thundering. But his bed was a small bed suited for only one person…

"Eh but, my bed is too small…" Wait does this mean that I'm actually considering this absurd idea? Ichigo thought.

"Aw it's ok, I don't take up much room," the albino said persuasively as he shuffled closer to the edge, making room for the other.

Ichigo gave up with a sigh. He was still much too tired to argue with this guy. And now, with the uneasiness in his stomach strangely gone he's starting to feel sleepy again. He yawned and lied down. "Whatever… don't try anything funny."

Shiro smirked, but the other couldn't see it because he was lying with his back towards the albino, "Of course not…"

The white-haired male listened as Ichigo's breathing quickly became constant, indicating that he was asleep. Shiro smiled, I guess you're still somewhat uneasy of thunderstorms huh, Ichi; some things won't change… He wanted to wrap his arms around the other, but feared that his doing so would wake up the soundly-sleeping other. So he sighed, decided to keep his word, and turned around so his back faced Ichigo's back. This way he won't be tempted to touch that body that he had missed for so long. He needed to advance slowly...

Saturday morning came around and Shiro woke up being encased with heat. He blinked drowsily and looked down to see a tan arm slung across his abdomen. He smirked lazily and registered a constant puff of hot air tickling his neck. His host was practically spooning him in his sleep, not that Shiro minded.

Heheh, the albino thought, now for Ichi to freak out when he wakes up. So he waited. It was quite comfortable and Shiro was tempted to snuggle closer to the warmness that the other provided, but he restrained himself and instead, directed his attention to the little trinkets and gadgets in Ichigo's room, since the sun had lit up the room, providing light for visual exploration.

On the drawer by the bed stood a lamp, and at the base of the lamp, overshadowed by the navy blue lamp shade laid a picture. Shiro studied it. It was a picture of the Kurosaki family smiling happily, standing together under a cherry blossom tree. The picture seemed to be taken sometime during the year. Even Ichigo was smiling, in turn making Shiro smile nostalgically; he hadn't seen that real smile, the smile that was equivalent to the happiness brought by the golden rays of sunlight, in years. Behind him, Ichigo stirred. The albino closed his eyes and decided to pretend to be asleep.

Ichigo yawned and tightened his grip. …Strange, I don't recall getting a body pillow, Ichigo thought as he slowly opened his eyes to stare at short spikes of ashy white hair. Ichigo blinked. Then he realized that it was Shiro, and relaxed, but then he noticed that his body was in contact with the other's hard, muscular back and his arm was gripping onto the albino's stomach. He flushed in embarrassment and immediately tried to withdraw his arm, but another hand grabbed a hold of his as Shiro's craned his head back and smirked playfully at a blushing Ichigo.

"My my, where did this arm come from? Ohh hey, g'morning," Shiro grinned playfully and took the opportunity to turn until he was facing the other and slipped his arms around Ichigo.

Ichigo's cheeks felt so hot that Ichigo was sure he would burn his fingers if he touched them. The worse thing was that he didn't even know why he's blushing! He should be disgusted! Oh god, it's too early in the morning.

"Ack! Ew S-Shiro what the hell let go of me!" Ichigo yelled indignantly and pushed against the albino's muscular chest in a futile attempt to get the other to let go. Shiro just continued to grin as he tightened his grasp and nuzzled Ichigo between his neck and shoulder. Ichigo shuddered and turned even redder, if it were possible. Just as when he thought his face was going to burst the albino released him. He immediately sprung out of the bed and darted into the adjacent bathroom, hearing the other's hearty laughter in the background.

Shiro smiled as he watched Ichigo go and slipped out from under the warm, strawberry-scented covers. It was just so much fun embarrassing the orange-head. Deciding against making more of a fool out of Ichigo, he decided to get dressed. Without permission, he fished around in Ichigo's closet, grabbed a plain navy blue and cyan striped shirt and the pair of dark-tinted jeans that was lent to him yesterday, and slipped them on.

Meanwhile Ichigo furiously splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to wash away his embarrassment. What the hell was I thinking?! Why were my arms around him when I was the one who told him to stay away!? What was- Urgh I don't know anymore, Ichigo reasoned in mind, He must've set the whole thing up; stupid albino… But Ichigo didn't really believe that, since he can't deny the fact that that was one of his best nights of sleep in years. Ichigo sighed and briskly dried off his face with his fluffy red towel. He looked up into the mirror and stared at his own reflection; he noticed that there wasn't a single red vein present in his eyes. He blinked. That means that he got a really good night of sleep…

Shiro was folding up the sheets on the couch when Ichigo walked into the living room. Noticing the other, he grinned, "So Ichi-"

"No breakfast for you," Ichigo declared briskly and stomped over to the fridge to search for any food items of value for breakfast.

"Aw…" Shiro pouted and snuck up behind the other, "Don't be like that…" He wrapped his arms around the other's torso, feeling the other tense. "I'm hungry…" he whined pitifully and nuzzled Ichigo's back.

Ichigo felt his will melt as the albino's warmth seeped through his pajamas and ignited his skin. He shivered slightly and sighed, "F-fine, just let go of me."

"But you're so nice and warm… It's really chilly this morning you know," Shiro mumbled, not letting go of his source of warmth. He smirked to himself as he felt the orange head shiver again. Feigning innocence, he asked, "Eh? Why are you shivering Ichigo? Are you cold?"

"A-ah, n-no, you-" Ichigo stammered; for some reason this morning his brain just wasn't focusing at one hundred percent. Oddly enough, he was somewhat cold, but there's no reason for the chill he feels. It's the end of autumn, sure, but his apartment served as an extremely efficient chill blocker, as long as the windows weren't open, and they weren't.

The telephone rang.

Thank god, Ichigo sighed thankfully and made his way to the phone, shrugging off his leech.

"This is Ichigo," the redhead started.

"_ICHIGO MY SOOOON!!!_" the receiver blared, screeching. Even Shiro, who was a good 10 feet away from the phone, heard it clearly and quirked an eyebrow.

"Dammit dad stop screeching into the phone!!" Ichigo yelled angrily into the receiver after regaining his hearing sense from his left ear.

"_How are you doing my son_?" Isshin Kurosaki inquired in a more serious tone.

Ichigo sighed, it's way too early in the morning, but dad hasn't called in a while, so this must be serious…

"Eh, not bad, how's Yuzu an-"

"_I'M SO GLAD TO HERE THAT I MISS YOU SO MUCH-"_

"SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET TO THE POINT GOAT-FACE!!!" Shiro raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"…"

"…"

"Well son, since Thanksgiving is coming up and all, you are going to come back and visit right?"

"Well, I dunno dad I might've to work during Thanksgiving…"

"NO I won't allow it, you have to come back. Do you know how terribly your sisters miss you?"

"…You're….right, I'll see what I can do," Ichigo said with a smile as he was reminded of his adorable younger sisters. He really missed Yuzu's cooking; screw work.

"Haha that's my son. I mailed you a little present for Thanksgiving too, so watch for that in the mail."

"Ehh? What kind of gift?" Ichigo asked, curious. Goat-face never really sent him anything, much less gifts. Of course this didn't mean that he didn't care for him, his son, but his family isn't exactly the richest, even though his dad runs a clinic.

"That's a surprise! Well I'm sure you're busy, so this old man will shut up now!"

"Haha 'k dad! See you later this month then!" Ichigo laughed and hung up. His dad can be annoying and goofy sometimes, but he's also a very kind and loving father.

Ichigo then glanced around the room and found Shiro sitting on the couch with a far-away look in his eyes. He remembered that Shiro left his family because they had a quarrel. Ichigo wondered if the albino was missing his family… but life needs to go on, even if there's something thrown into the pathway of his routine. He still had to go to work.

"Hey, Shiro?"

"…yeah?" Shiro muttered, blinking as if brought back into reality?

"Listen, I have to go to work so…"

"Oh you want me to go with you? Sure!" Shiro cut in, grinning happily, a playing glint in his sulfuric eyes as he stood up and went to put on his shoes.

"Eh…that's not…" Ichigo sighed. Fine, the albino can come along if he wants to, but he'll just end up extremely bored and then leave me alone, he thought. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a jacket, since it is the start of November and the weather is chilly. He grabbed his other jacket as well and tossed it to the other.

"Here, you'll catch a cold unless you wear something warm."

"Aww is Ichi worried about me?" Shiro teased as he caught the thrown article of clothing and slipped it on.

"No." Ichigo denied and hastened out the door. Shiro just smirked and followed, like a tiger tracking his unaware prey.

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Meh. I'm dissatisfied with this chapter. .

Review plox?


	3. Chapter 3

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**-~-Not by Chance, But by Destiny-~-**

**-Chapter 3-**

Leaving Ichigo's humble yet homely apartment, the two entered the hustling downtown atmosphere. A harsh, early winter wind howled as it traveled between the spaces of the tall skyscrapers. Murky clouds from last night's thunderstorm still hung around, blocking out the sun. The streets weren't as full as usual, as it was between early morning rush hours and lunch. Some of the people carried umbrellas with them as a precaution. Cars filled the streets, carrying busybodies around to their destinations. The rumbling of the subway from the nearby station droned in the background.

Ichigo locked the door nimbly as he and the free loading albino exited the building. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his faux leather jacket that his father had given him as a Christmas present last year. It has done a good job in keeping him warm up until now. He looked up at the cloudy sky and frowned. He never did like clouds when they blocked the warm sun.

Shiro quickly zipped up the black hoodie that Ichigo had tossed him earlier, smiling at the fact that it fit him perfectly. Last night was one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten in a long time, and it was all because of the strawberry that was currently walking in front of him. He had so much that he wanted to tell him… but he wasn't sure if the time is right. He'll wait and see.

His thoughts were disrupted by the shrill ring of a cell phone.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks, realizing after a couple seconds that it was his cell phone. Catching Shiro's stare, he blushed slightly and flipped open his phone. His left eyebrow quirked up with a questioning look at the caller I.D.

"Hello? …ah is that so… Alright, thanks boss!" Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. Though sudden, the call had been a pleasant surprise.

"Wha's that all about?"

Ichigo turned to Shiro with a grin, "I don't have work today!" Shiro blinked. Why'd the berry have to look so damn adorable all the time? The way his eyebrow popped up, the way his brown eyes glowed despite the clouds' shielding of the sun, the way his lips moved while he talked, all were extremely enticing to Shiro. He doubted the berryhead knew how adorable he looked.

"The boss said that something came up, so he won't be there today," Ichigo continued with a smile. Although he didn't hate working as a waiter at the restaurant close-by, it was definitely nice having an unexpected day off. So now he had a whole Saturday off, what should he do? His thoughts automatically drifted to the pale skinned man standing by him. He got an idea!

"Ah Shiro, since… I've got nothing to do today, wanna go buy clothes…?"

Shiro smirked, "So… ya want me to stay wit' ya?"

Ichigo was caught off-guard by that question. Why did he suddenly want to go spend his precious, hard-earned money to buy clothes for the other man, whom he had only met yesterday? When has he really cared so quickly for another person…? Not in ten years. So why now? Ichigo's mind was a jumble of questions, but he knew one thing, the snowy albino made his fear of thunderstorms away. He chased away the queasy feeling in his stomach. He provided him company, company that he enjoyed for the first time in a long time. Yes he enjoyed the albino's company, despite how he made him feel… strange.

Getting no response from the orange haired teen, Shiro sighed and started to peel off Ichigo's jacket that he was wearing. Once off, he sighed and thrust the jacket into Ichigo's hands.

"I… I should go," Shiro started and feigned a sad look, capturing warm hazelnut eyes with his own, observing said eyes widening with surprise. He grinned inside, he knew the orange head were having conflicted feelings about him, but he was curious to see what Ichigo's reaction would be. "Thank ya fer caring fer me and feeding me… I haven't had such a warm night's of rest as I did last night in a long time, and I have ya to thank."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, but Shiro glanced at the ground and continued, in a mournful tone, "Thank ya fer caring when no one else did, and m'sorry to have been a burden on-"

"Stop that!" Shiro looked up and saw a pink blush spread across his companion's face, his eyes indignant and slightly glossy. Shiro arched an eyebrow, surprised.

"You are not a burden!" Ichigo blurted, his hands tightening around the jacket that had previously been on the albino's shoulders. He didn't know why he was acting like this, but for some reason he didn't want the other to leave.

Shiro paused and sighed. He started to pull off his- correction, Ichigo's shirt that he was wearing, feeling the chilly air hit his uncovered back, but before he could take it off completely he felt hands on his, forcing the shirt back down, its warmth shielding his body again. He opened his eyes and found a pair of honey brown orbs inches from his face. Ichigo pulled down the shirt forcefully, his hands still fisted at the edges and resting on the albino's hips.

"Are you crazy?" Ichigo yelled, surprising even himself, "It's too cold outside-" He stopped abruptly, just noticing the distance between their faces. He felt his cheeks heat up even more, if possible.

Shiro smirked inside, but decided to keep going with his charade. He looked away from those earnest eyes to the side and muttered, "But… I'm no use to you, I annoy you, I'm eating the food that your hard-working hands are earning for yourself… It's better that I le-"

"You made my fear go away!"

Shiro's eyes widened. So his presence in Ichigo's bed chased away his fear of thunderstorms…? And Ichigo just openly admitted that?

Ichigo shivered as a cold gust blew in across the streets, stripping the trees of their last remaining leaves. He gasped when he felt himself engulfed in heat and realized that Shiro was hugging him. Warm…

"A-ack w-what you d-doing? G-get off!" Ichigo stammered, blushing furiously, trying to put power in his words but it wasn't coming off right. He hasn't felt another person's body so close to him in a long time, not including last night. He struggled, but he felt like his energy had been drained.

Shiro nuzzled the crevice between the orange head's neck and shoulder gently, earning another shudder from Ichigo, and smiled. "Aww okay, Ichi," Shiro whispered, "If that's what you want, I'll stay wit' ya." He took a big whiff and grinned to himself. The orange head smelled like strawberries, mmm.

Ichigo felt a big sense of relief and smiled. The loneliness of living by himself got to him, that's it, Ichigo reasoned to himself. His lips wouldn't curl back to his usual scowl when the snowy head resting on his shoulder looked up and Ichigo felt himself getting lost and captivated once again in those playful and lively golden eyes. Their noses were mere centimeters apart, until the albino leaned up and rubbed his nose with Ichigo's in a playful manner. Ichigo's eyes widened.

[Flashback]

_Ichigo grinned and looked at his companion, who was also wearing a huge grin on his face. The six-year-old was sitting on the bench with his playmate who was one year younger than him. He gently placed his tan hand on a smaller, paler hand and turned to the side, finding golden eyes looking into his with mirth. Slowly the other leaned forward and rubbed his nose against Ichigo's, causing the two to burst out into laughter._

[End Flashback]

Ichigo blinked. Parts of that memory were muddled. He couldn't recall his companion's facial features; he could only remember those pale hands. Anyone could have pale hands, he thought, and sighed mentally. Back to reality though, he found Shiro looking up questionably, the albino's arms still around him. He blushed and struggled again, in vain.

Shiro smirked and whispered in a low voice, his arms tightening against his prey, "Nuh-uh, you're not escaping." Feeling the other shudder slightly, he realized how much he missed this. It's been ten long years since he last had a chance to hold the orange head, and he was going to cherish the moment.

A low-key whistle filled with merriment broke the moment, causing gold eyes to stare at the intruder in blatant annoyance while brown eyes perceived the intruder with surprise.

"R-Renji!" Ichigo exclaimed, quickly worming out of the albino's hold, face still flush. Shiro glared. "What are you doing here?"

Shiro sized up the intruder, whose long, thick red hair was tied up in a pony tail, a slight bit taller than himself, and currently grinning with an eyebrow cocked up. He narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the pineapple head.

"Well ya know, we have no work today," Renji said, glancing at the albino whom he didn't recognize that was standing by his friend. "But I see you're busy," he stated with a wink and laughed.

Ichigo quickly blurted, "It's not what it looks like!" But Renji had already walked past him, delivering a playful punch to the orange head's shoulder, he grinned, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" With a wave, the red head left in the direction of the subway station.

Shiro frowned. "Who's that?" He didn't like the way the pineapple head looked at his Ichigo. But Ichigo being oblivious like usual didn't notice anything.

"Oh, that's Renji, my classmate and co-worker at Sereitei. He lives closeby I think…" Ichigo said with a glance at the vanishing figure in the distance. He suddenly felt a pair of strong hands on his shoulder, snapping his attention back to the albino in front of him.

"So, are we still gonna go buy some clothes?"

Three hours later, Ichigo was unlocking the door to his apartment, followed by Shiro, who were holding several bags of clothing in his hands. They went to a couple of the cheap clothing stores downtown and found some decent deals. Somehow Ichigo didn't feel stingy or reluctant in spending money on Shiro, but rather it felt like buying gifts for a close friend. It was a nice feeling, he concluded with a smile. Shiro made his usually dull Saturday morning fun and interesting.

Shiro had a small smile on his face also as he set the bags down on the couch. He hasn't found so much fun in a small mundane task like clothes shopping in a while. He looked over at the orange head who was taking off his jacket and hanging it in the mini closet by the door. He has changed so much, Shiro thought, and yet he hasn't changed at all. To him Ichigo was still the same Ichigo he had known, except now ten times sexier.

"Hey Shiro," The calm baritone voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Ichigo staring at him. "Are tuna sandwiches okay for lunch…?" Shiro nodded, Ichigo nodded back with a smile and headed into the kitchen, quietly whistling a happy tone.

The albino also took off his borrowed jacket and hung it on top of Ichigo's. Then he quietly crept into the kitchen where he saw Ichigo opening cans of "Chicken of the Sea" on the counter.

Ichigo gave out a small "Eek" as he felt hands creep up his torso, pressing him into a toned, muscled chest, engulfing him with warmth. He felt a cold nose nuzzling his neck and shuddered.

"A-ah, S-Shiro, what a-are you doing?" Ichigo bit his lip hard, feeling his face heat up. Why was he reacting like this and why was the albino hugging him from behind? But while his body didn't want to break free, a part of his mind screamed at him to do something.

"Just watchin' ya cook." Ichigo shuddered at the husky, low-tone voice as he felt warm breath ghost over his sensitive skin and he felt his legs starting to melt. He never felt this way before, even though he has long come to terms with the fact that he was bi, if not outright gay.

He was positive that he would've just collapsed there on the kitchen floor had the albino not let go at that moment and backed off. He was able to gather his composure, but his cheeks blushed a furious red.

It had taken every good thought in Shiro to have forced him to let go of the most enticing man whom he has been re-familiarize himself with. He groaned quietly, quickly hiding away his arousal. He looked up and smirked, the orange head was still shuddering slightly, standing in front of him. His eyes softened as he thought about how cute his little Ichi was. So, so cute.

Ichigo's brain felt as sore as one who has been hit head-on with a pick-up truck. He had concluded that there was definitely something special about the albino, something more than he had been letting on. If he would declare that he was a succubus equipped with magic that was potent enough to bend the strongest will to his wishes, or to melt the toughest resolves, Ichigo would've believed him. He shook his head and tried focusing on the tuna he was scooping out of the can and flattening on the sandwiches.

"'Nything I can help ya with?"

A lot of things, Ichigo thought with a mental groan. He widened his eyes in disbelief about what he just said to himself. God his brain was not working properly today…

"U-Uh, nothing, y-you can go watch TV in the living room or something if you're bored," Ichigo offered, trying his best not to stutter like a love-stricken school girl.

"But why would I wanna do that when I can watch ya make lunch?" Shiro said teasingly, taking a seat on the kitchen counter across from where Ichigo was piling stuffs in between bread.

Ichigo blushed again when he heard those words and let out a small sigh of relief when he heard the albino sit. Despite the other's bothering, he had finished making three sandwiches, two for Shiro and one for himself, since he had figured out last night that the white haired man ate about twice as much as him. Although he wasn't used to another person teasing and messing with him, he couldn't help but admit that he enjoyed Shiro's company immensely. He would never say that out loud of course.

Ichigo turned around after placing two sandwiches on one plate, which he handed to Shiro, and he picked up his one sandwich and sat down on the opposite side of the counter, facing the albino.

Shiro stared at the other for a bit before picking up his own sandwich. Tuna… his favorite; coincidence. With a polite thank you, he brought it to his mouth and bit into it. Delicious. But of course, anything his tan angel made would be delicious.

Ichigo watched with a smile as the other picked up his pace and started to consume his food voluptuously. He was glad that Shiro enjoyed the food that he made.

Bread crumbs started to gather at the corners of his pale lips, and without thinking Ichigo reached his hand across the counter and wiped the crumbs off of Shiro's face with his thumb, but before he could withdraw it, it was suddenly pulled and surrounded by wet heat.

Ichigo blinked, his eyes widening as he noticed that his thumb was in Shiro's mouth.

[Flashback]

"_Hey, you have icing on your face!" Ichigo said between giggles, almost choking on the chocolate cake he had been stuffing in his mouth. He reached out to wipe the dark chocolate icing off from his playmate's face, only for his fingers to get caught in his pale skinned companion's mouth. _

"_E-Eh, what are you doing?" Ichigo said curiously, "It feels funny when you suck on my fingers!" He protested. _

_With a pop, his fingers were released, laced with saliva._

_A scratchy, distorted, but gentle voice replied, "I was cleanin' the icing off ya fingers." His glowing golden eyes against obsidian meeting Ichigo's honey brown orbs._

_They both laughed and went back to digging into the delicious cake that Ichigo's mom had got him to celebrate his sixth birthday. _

[End Flashback]

"N-No way…" Ichigo muttered in disbelief. He pointed a shaky finger at the albino, "You're… Shiro… Shirosaki Tensho."

Shiro smiled in surprise and swiped his tongue out along his lips. "Yes… yes I am. You finally remember, Berry-chan."

* * *

AN: Hey I've been recovered from my kidnappers, who are also known as responsibilities. I'm currently addicted to Ichigo/Shiro thanks to reading Hollow Ichigo Ichigo's work, and when I saw that she had reviewed this story it inspired me to work more on this. Check out her stories! They're so goooood.

Reviews are always welcome and they make me want to write more! Anything for my reviewers.  
No beta, and... yeah I know, terrible grammar ._.


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